When Stephen A. walks in a room you listen; and the room full of college sports communication and media students did just that. Rowan University's Pfleeger Concert Hall was packed, filled to the max. Everyone was excited to see the hype sports talker bring the heat. And that he did.
Introducing the face of ESPN, the star of the #1 morning sports talk show First Take, ESPN analyst, ABC's NBA countdown analyst, renowned on-air personality: Stephen A. Smith! The entire room roared with applause and cheers at his sheer entrance into the room, and when he spoke, they listened. His first take? To get real. When Stephen A. delivered the crowd real-deal life-lesson-sound-advice, they hung on his every word. It was powerful. Everyone loved it; this is what we’re here for, special, one-of-a-kind moments like this...
What-a-take! This was true March Madness '24. It was an incredible real talk with Stephen A. Smith at Rowan University, his alma matter. Stephen A. gave his famous first take sports review, including EAGLES, SIXERS, FLYERS, PHILLIES positivity and praise .
Smith encouraged the students to be their authentic best selves, to have fun and at the same time, to consider their actions, to take the right actions, to protect themselves, their reputations and careers. Go for your goals, high risk will get you high reward, show them what you're made of and embrace challenges with a smile on your face are some of the nuggets of wisdom he offered. Thank you very much, Steven A., for the inspiration, insight, and wisdom.
A very special thanks to Neil Hartman, Emmy Award winning sports host on such an incredible event. Philadelphia journalist Neil Hartman, the senior director of Rowan’s Center for Sports Communication & Social Impact, friend of Stephen's created such a memorable event. We had the blessing of meeting Neil before the event and being able to watch his strategic preparation of the stage, the camera's, the props, etc., prior to Stephen A and the audience's arrival. Powerful. So much work goes into broadcasting and presenting. What an absolute honor and privilege to be present.
Thank you to Rowan University's Linda DiGennaro for orchestrating our visit as well as tour of Rowan Pfleegar Concert hall, dance and music studios. Thank you to Nithin Ramachandra of NR Media. What a special team of leaders and students at Rowan University.
Get your copy of your New York Times bestselling book, “Straight Shooter; A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes." on Amazon. It's absolutely amazing and real. What a leader. Here's hoping you get a chance to hear him speak in person.
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